We are saddened to report on the passing this past October of Hoyt Ecker, 91, the patriarch of the family that owns Stage Harbor Lighthouse in Chatham, Massachusetts. When the Stage Harbor Lighthouse was deactivated in 1933, its lantern was removed and it has been headless ever since. The Hoyt family purchased the lighthouse in 1936. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife Debbie, his family, and friends.

Changes at NELL

This past November, Greg Fitzgerald, president of the New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL), a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), resigned over a management dispute with ALF. Ron Foster, who served as the president of NELL when it became a chapter of ALF in 2001, was appointed interim president until a new president of NELL can be elected.

The End of SEAMARK

After 29 years and 174 issues, the last edition of SEAMARK was published this past November. SEAMARK was a publication, first in print and later in an electronic version, which dealt primarily with lighthouse postage stamp collecting from around the world. It was always very informative, interesting, and well researched. It his last issue, Derrick Jackson, its editor, wrote, “I would like to thank all my loyal subscribers for their support over the years, and hope that they got the same pleasure and enjoyment in reading it as I did compiling it. But all good things must come to an end . . . and this is ‘the end.’ Thank you and Goodbye.” (SEAMARK 1988-2017).

It’s Official

As we predicted in the last edition of Lighthouse Digest, it’s now official – Acadia National Park will become the new owner of Maine’s famous Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. However, a final decision on what they will do with the lighthouse is still up in the air. It may become a museum, a gift shop, or housing for a park employee.

Record Crowd at Nubble

The town of York, Maine reported record-breaking attendance for its annual Thanksgiving weekend Holiday Lighting of the Nubble Lighthouse. It was estimated that anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 people attended. They were all treated to hot chocolate and cookies, Christmas music, and the arrival of Santa on a York Fire Department truck. The mild weather probably contributed to the large turnout.

Damage at Beavertail

The November storm that caused havoc throughout New England tore the copper roof from the fog signal building at Rhode Island’s Beavertail Lighthouse.

New Lighting at Twin Lights

New lighting has been installed at the Twin Lights of Navesink in Highlands, New Jersey. The new lighting, known as up-lighting, was installed to dramatically show off the unique architecture of the gigantic light station and will be able to seen by people from miles away.

Russell A. Lane Dies

Russell A. Lane of Bristol, Maine passed away on November 27. Born in 1931 in a family of 14 children, as soon as he was old enough he joined the U.S. Navy. Later joined the U.S. Coast Guard where he served at eight different lighthouses along the Maine coast. While serving at Whitehead Lighthouse in the 1950s he and local resident Dave Gamage rescued five young people whose boat had overturned. In recent years his son, Russ Lane Jr., made a documentary film about his father titled “Looking For A Hero.” He is survived by his wife of 61 years Sandra, two children, Becky Bryant, and Russell Lane, Jr., as well as three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. Shown here in 2015 (l-r) is Russell A. Lane Sr., Russell A. Lane Jr., and Dave Gamage at Whitehead Lighthouse.

This story appeared in the
Jan/Feb 2018 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.